Photo: On February 5, 2026, U.S. Vice President JD Vance delivered a speech at a welcome event for the U.S. team during the Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy.
[People News] U.S. Vice President JD Vance commented on the choice of Chinese-American skier Gu Ailing (Eileen Gu) to represent China instead of the United States at the Winter Olympics, expressing his hope that American citizens would choose to represent the U.S. on the global stage. Gu Ailing's decision to once again compete for China at the Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina has ignited controversy, with some Americans feeling that she has betrayed the U.S., even going so far as to label her a 'traitor.'
According to a report by Voice of America, Vance was asked on Tuesday (February 17) during an interview on Fox News' The Story With Martha MacCallum' whether Gu Ailing's nationality eligibility should be reconsidered. Vance stated that he was uncertain about how her eligibility should be addressed, but he reiterated his hope that American citizens would choose to compete for the U.S. on the world stage.
I am unsure how her eligibility should be assessed; ultimately, it is up to the Olympic Committee, and I will not interfere," said Wans. "I genuinely believe that someone who has grown up in the United States, benefited from our education system, and enjoys the freedoms and rights that contribute to making our country great, would prefer them to represent the United States in competition. Therefore, I will support American athletes, and I think part of the reason is that they identify as Americans. These are the athletes I am supporting in these Olympic Games.
The 22-year-old freestyle skier Gu Ailing, born in San Francisco, California, is currently a student at Stanford University and is recognised as the highest-earning Winter Olympics athlete worldwide. She has partnerships with several Chinese companies as well as Western firms. In 2022, she represented China at the Beijing Winter Olympics. Questions about her nationality have shadowed her since she announced in 2019 that she would compete for China.
Olympic athletes must be citizens of the country they represent, and China does not permit dual nationality. However, there is no evidence that Gu Ailing has renounced her American citizenship. When asked whether China has made an exception for her regarding her nationality, Gu Ailing has consistently declined to comment.
In 2019, Gu Ailing expressed that she chose to represent China for her mother, who was born in China, describing it as an 'extremely difficult' decision. At that time, many Americans were not in favor of her choice. Prominent American television host Tucker Carlson labelled Gu Ailing's decision to represent China as 'stupid' during a prime-time segment on Fox News. Guest Will Cain went further, calling Gu Ailing 'ungrateful' and 'shameful'.
Since the start of the Winter Olympics, Gu Ailing (Eileen Gu) has been compared by both traditional and social media to Liu Meixian, a Chinese-American figure skater who also grew up in the United States. Liu Meixian, now 20, was born in Clovis, California. Her father, Liu Jun (originally Liu Jun Guo), was involved in the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989 and later sought political asylum in the U.S. Reports suggest that agents from the Chinese Communist Party attempted to pressure Liu Meixian into competing for China, but both she and her father resolutely chose to represent the United States.
At the Milan Winter Olympics, Gu Ailing's decision to represent China once again has ignited controversy, with some referring to her as a 'traitor'.
On February 17, former NBA star Enes Kanter Freedom took to the X platform to post a lengthy message condemning Gu Ailing, calling her a 'traitor'.
He stated that she was born, raised, and became famous in the United States, yet she "chose to compete against her own country, fighting for the world's most serious human rights violator, China."
"She opted to serve a country that is responsible for the deaths of tens of millions of its own citizens and is currently operating concentration camps, instead of serving the nation that provided her with birth and opportunities," Kante wrote. He reiterated this perspective during an interview with Fox News on the same day.
Notably, Kante officially became a U.S. citizen on November 29, 2021. To commemorate this milestone, the Turkish athlete, born in Switzerland, added the surname "Freedom" to his legal name upon gaining U.S. citizenship.
Gu Ailing's response to Kante's reference to the concentration camps run by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in Xinjiang has sparked further controversy. Ahead of this season's Winter Olympics, Gu Ailing was asked during an exclusive interview with Time magazine about her views on the CCP's genocide against the Uyghurs. She replied, "I am not an expert on this issue. I have not conducted any related research. I feel that it is not my concern. I will not make unfounded claims on social media."
However, as a student majoring in international relations at Stanford University, Time magazine still pressed her. The magazine asked whether she should do some research on the alleged genocide of Uyghurs. Gu Ailing once again chose to avoid a direct answer. She said: “I’m generally sceptical of data. So I wouldn’t read one article and say, ‘Oh, this must be the truth.’ I need a lot of evidence. I might need to go to that place. I might need to talk to ten people who have personally experienced life there. Then I would need to look at related images. I would need to listen to recordings. I would need to think about how history has influenced all of this.”
Gu Ailing also sparked controversy by criticising U.S. President Donald Trump during the Winter Olympics.
On February 8, Trump posted on the social media platform Truth Social, criticising comments made by American freestyle skier Chris Lillis about U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). When Gu Ailing was asked on February 9 about Trump’s criticism of Lillis, she responded: “I regret that something so unrelated to the spirit of the Olympics has stolen the spotlight from the Games. This really runs completely counter to the purpose of the Olympics.”
In response to Gu Ailing, Michael Sobolik, a researcher at the Hudson Institute in Washington, expressed on X that while it is not unusual for athletes to criticize the U.S. president, it is noteworthy that Gu Ailing, 'as an American athlete competing for China, never addresses the CCP's persecution of the Uyghurs or the imprisonment of political prisoners like Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai (Li Zhiying) and Beijing Zion Family Church pastor Jin Mingri.'
Sobolik remarked, 'If you criticise the U.S. but remain silent about the CCP, that alone reveals many issues. If you are an American athlete who leverages the freedoms provided by the U.S. to represent an authoritarian regime, that amplifies the problem.'
Republican communications strategist Matt Whitlock raised doubts about whether Gu Ailing would similarly criticise CCP leader Xi Jinping. 'It’s hard to imagine a more troubling statement than that of an athlete who renounced their U.S. citizenship to secure a spokesperson agreement with the Chinese Communist Party. Does Gu Ailing have any criticism of Xi Jinping’s actions regarding genocide, enslavement, and the arrest of dissenters?' Whitlock wrote.
In a report by The Wall Street Journal on February 13, it was noted that after Gu Ailing and another American-born figure skater, Zhu Yi, who also represents China, received a total of $6.6 million in bonuses from the Beijing Sports Bureau in 2025, Whitlock retweeted, stating: 'Bought off by the communist regime. Silent on Jimmy Lai. Silent on the genocide of the Uyghurs. Silent on the attacks on China’s neighbours. Traitors.'
△
News magazine bootstrap themes!
I like this themes, fast loading and look profesional
Thank you Carlos!
You're welcome!
Please support me with give positive rating!
Yes Sure!